Gov. Walker begins 3rd year in office

Published On: Jan 03 2013 10:39:26 AM CST

MADISON, Wis. -

Thursday, January 3 marks the beginning of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker’s third year in office.

Walker released the following statement:

"Two years ago, Wisconsin was facing a $3.6 billion budget deficit and the state had an unemployment rate of 7.5 percent. Today, Wisconsin has a $341 million surplus and we set money aside in the rainy day fund for the first time in two consecutive years. The unemployment rate is 6.7 percent.

In 2010, a mere 10 percent of employers surveyed said the state was headed in the right direction. Chief Executive Magazine ranked Wisconsin as the 41st state for business ranking.

In 2012, 94 percent said Wisconsin was headed in the right direction. Chief Executive Magazine moved our ranking up to 20th, while CNBC listed us at 17th and Site Selector Magazine as 13th.

New business formations are up 11.1 percent from this time two years ago.

In the second half of my term, I look forward to working with the people of Wisconsin, from workers to educators and job creators to legislators, to continue moving our state forward."

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